This is the first book by John Bishop I've read and it did not disappoint. It was a quick read full of twists and turns. I look forward to picking the rest up in the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Mantid press for my copy of Act of Revenge: A Medical Thriller by John Bishop MD in exchange for an honest review. It published September 10, 2020.
This book appealed to me because I love medical thrillers, however, issues due to elective plastic surgery elude my interest. I think this book is definitely for a certain demographic and I don't meet that demographic. I had a hard time with this book, but I think someone who relates more to the main character would be more drawn to this book.

This was an interesting read, it didn't really grip me from the start but once I got into it I enjoyed it.

For me there was just something missing for that wow factor.

Steady paced

3 stars for me

I love the Doc Brady series – Dr. Brady is a man of many talents – including investigating crimes! He does so while balancing home life and a busy schedule as an orthopedic surgeon.

In this novel, a chance encounter (a quite funny one at that too) brings together Dr. Brady and Dr. Edwards and takes them down a path of murder, malpractice, death threats and more. Doc Brady wants to believe Lou, especially after the bond his wife makes with Lou’s wife, but Lou is making it very hard to believe in him. He says and does things he should not to do, making him a prime suspect in a murder!

But Doc Brady has a soft spot for both people and solving crimes, he cannot resist getting his hands dirty solving this case. He dives right in with the investigation, following leads that even the police did not uncover. The plot is complicated, and what seems like an easy open and close case is so very far from that as Doc Brady uncovers. There are many complex, interwoven layers of lies and Doc Brady must move quickly to connect them (while protecting his own life as he quickly learns). I was quite surprised by the end of the novel, it was not what I was expecting but was fitting to the way the story evolved.

Act of Revenge is a well written novel with characters that you can’t help but adore. You could definitely read this novel as a stand alone but I would strongly recommend reading the other two novels in this series, Act of Murder and Act of Deception.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady is an orthopedic surgeon who has to put in continuing education time for his license—why not a conference in Snowmass, Colorado for a little bit of February skiing? Doc Brady plows into a lesser skier who turned into his path. And wouldn’t you know? He’s another doctor from his own area of Houston.

No, Jim Bob won’t do the surgery but they do get him back home and one of Brady’s colleagues does the surgery. Dr. Brady and his wife, Mary Louise keeps up on his progress while Mary Louise befriends Lou Edward’s wife. She has lupus and is in ill health due to breast implants Edwards himself insisted she undergo. Of course that opens the disclosure that Dr. Edwards, a plastic surgeon, having been sued in regard to related silicone breast plant injuries, had his malpractice insurance cancelled. Come to find out, so has many other plastic surgeons with the same kind of practice. Their insurance based right in the Houston area.

The medical jargon is fascinating stuff and really doesn’t slow the well-plotted storyline. This is Book 3 of the series, but even if you’d not started with Book 1, this would work just fine for you. The characters all click and it doesn’t take long before you become thoroughly engaged.

An entertaining medical thriller mystery with a protagonist full of wit and charm, that oozes a sense of humor that’s contagious. It's a writing style full of tenderness and affection. The author keeps it on the lighter side. He’s a doctor who is brilliant at what he does but he also enjoys getting into an investigation, even when it appears to be getting dangerous. The 1990s setting puts the reader in an era of medical discovery and technology. The conclusion comes about as easy and satisfying as the rest of the narrative without extended blow-by-blow discussion that extends the page count another twenty. Very entertaining.

Absolutely loved this book from start to finish and love medical thrillers in general! Loved the storyline and everything about this book. I feel like I know the side of getting implants now too! Great medical thriller thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this read for an honest review.

My first medical thriller. I always thought they’d be more graphic, but fortunately this book wasn’t. A surgeon turns into amateur sleuth to solve a murder. I was intrigued by the premise (Thanks to Anna). Reads fast + no boring moments + part of series but can be read as a standalone. Pick this one if you want a satisfying commercial crime thriller.

Thank you Mantid Press, John Bishop MD and Netgalley for the ARC. This review is my own.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was my first read of the Doc Brady Mystery series, and now I want to go back and read the first two! I really enjoyed following the orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brady, and how he became involved in a plastic surgeons insurance murder mystery. I found the story to move very quickly and was a fast interesting read with turns throughout the entire story tying more and more people together.

Act of Revenge

   Dr Jim Bob Brady is on his annual work/ski trip with his wife when he ends up colliding with and injuring another skier, who also happens to be a doctor; Dr Louis Edwards. What starts as an accident winds up turning into a friendship among two couples.
    Dr Edwards is carrying some baggage, and a lot at that. His wife was diagnosed with Lupus from what seems to be related to the silicone breast implants she had once had put in by none other than himself, he's now in the midst of not one, but 68 lawsuits, and his malpractice insurance  has been canceled to boot. One morning Jim Bob sees his new friend being interviewed on the today show while picketing regarding the cancelation of other doctors' malpractice insurance, ending his interview by threatening the CEO of the company on national television. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse for his poor friend, he is pinned for the murder of the same CEO. Determined to help his new friend out, Jim Bob finds his way to becoming Dr Jim Bob Brady, Special Investigator. The more involved he becomes, the more secrets he unturns. Is Lou really capable of such an act? Who really is the man that Jim Bob met on the slopes?

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Netgalley and John Bishop MD for this great opportunity. At first I wasn't sure if this book was for me, but then it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I loved the fact that it was a medical thriller, but it offered laughs as well and actually had me going back and forth with who I thought the killer was. It definitely had me on the edge of my seat quite a few times there. I am rating this ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks once again to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Act of Revenge: A Medical Thriller" by John Bishop, MD.

Jim Bob Brady and his lovely wife are on a skiing vacation when he has a collision with Dr. Lou Edwards, resulting in an instant friendship between Jim and his wife and Lou and and his wife Mimi.

And this leads to Dr. Brady's involvement in (yet another) murder, for which his new friend Lou seems to be 'in the frame'. The victim of this particular murder is an entitled rich man, whose company is ultimately responsible for the cancellation of Dr. Edwards's and many other plastic surgeons' malpractice insurance.

Judging from some of the dialogue and asides, this is not the first time that Dr. Brady has become involved in a murder investigation (this being book 3 of the series, that is to be expected); this time, though, he's even been given a badge, and the permission to investigate wherever clues take him.

Along the way, we learn a lot about silicone breast implants, and what harm they eventually caused to many women - including Lou's long-suffering wife, Mimi who is the victim of lupus, a dread autoimmune disease that will ultimately kill her.

Judging from this book, this is the kind of 'cozy' mystery that will attract fans of "Murder She Wrote" and others.

Needless to say, after a number of twists and turns (and some remarkably upsetting plot twists), Dr. Brady ends up with the solution; and the cops get their man.

Highly recommended.

Act of Revenge is the third book in the Doc Brady medical cozy mystery series by Dr. John Bishop. Released 10th Sept 2020, it's 247 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, the first book in the series is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
Protagonist Jim Bob Brady is a likable and plain spoken Texas orthopedist and part time sleuth (this time with the backing of the Houston Police Department). A chance accidental meeting with a fellow practitioner leads to him being drawn into a convoluted plot of murder, revenge, and the labyrinthine intricacies of medical malpractice.

The medical terms are well explained in context and layman accessible. The elements of violence are not graphic and occur off-scene. The language is very clean. It's refreshing to see Dr. Brady's healthy relationship with his wife (some innuendo, but nothing explicit) and his adult son, who helps him out in his investigation.

The pacing was good, the plot moved along at a pleasant clip, and I never felt like it was a slog or a race. The characters were well written, fleshed out and distinct and true to their various internal motivations and personalities. The full-on Texas dialogue got to me a few times, but I'm a Yankee, and, well, Texans do Texas (y'all). It was at least very true to the local vernacular and had the absolute ring of verisimilitude. The author's a Texas native, clearly.

Four stars. Well written and entertaining.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Plastic Surgeon Lou Edwards has seemingly disappeared... maybe for good reason. His wife has been diagnosed with Lupus... probably from leaking silicone from her breast implants ...implants that were done by her husband, the plastic surgeon.

His malpractice insurance has been cancelled, as has many other plastic surgeons, because of the increasing number of breast implant problems.

Needless to say, Edwards is not a happy camper. On National Television, Edwards threatens the insurance company president. Later, the president is found murdered in his home.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady invites himself into the murder investigation on behalf of Edwards, a professional colleague. And once again, Brady finds more questions than answers.

Although this is 3rd in a series, it is easily read as a read-along, but I highly recommend starting at the beginning. ACT OF REVENGE is well written, a few twists and turns along the way, with several suspects, all who may have a motive. Brady finds that the more he investigates, the more nervous someone gets ... and issues a death threat. This is a very satisfactory read.

Many thanks to the author / Mantid Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/medical thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This is a refreshing medical thriller with an extremely likable protagonist, Dr. Jim Bob Brady. I was on Doc Brady's side instantly - he is funny, warm, and the sort of person you'd like to have take care of you AND solve your mysteries. His wife is also great. This is kind of a "cozy medical thriller" if such a thing exists? And I mean that as a compliment. The book never gives up its warm and friendly tone but also takes a nice tough approach to a lot of interesting medical issues. It's not a Michael Crichton/Robin Cook terrifying medical pandemic type thriller but a thriller that is more about the characters, which I really liked. I also love the idea of a doctor who is also a detective, because don't most doctors have problem-solving, detective-like tendencies?

A very fun and appealing window into the life of a good doctor (the author is an orthopedic surgeon, and I would like to think he is a lot like Jim Bob) who cares. It should also be noted that this book takes place in the 1990s during the height of some of the silicone breast implant discoveries, which I found to be an especially interesting subject. I learned a lot of stuff about breast implants - most of it scary - all of it interesting!

While this was a little cozier than my usual psycho killer, mass pandemic reads, I think my cold, cold, heart benefited from it. I am impressed with the writing skills and plot structuring of this book and love the main character. If you are interested in plastic surgery in the 90s (and today), doctors who solve crimes, and a set of fun and interesting characters, this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley, John Bishop and Mantid Press for this fun and interesting palate cleansing and warm book.

A Doc Brady Mystery Book# 3

This medical thriller is not only a solid read but a good mix of mystery, family and danger. This 3rd mystery stands on its own two feet and for the novice of this series not fear you can easily melt right in and enjoy every moment passing time with Doc Brady as he finds himself involved in events that have him in the middle of a mystery. In this 3rd act, Doc returns to investigating when Lou Edwards, a friend, finds himself accused of murder.

This story captured my attention from the beginning and never let go. It opens with the murder of Paul Thompson a wealthy owner of a renowned insurance co and follows up with an investigation into the main suspect doctor Lou Edwards who had recently lost his malpractice coverage insurance. The mystery also pulls in the many people around them.

The author is a medical doctor by profession and his knowledge and experience shine in his words of course we have an abundance of medical procedures mainly mammoplasty, rhytidectomy and other cosmetic surgery but all done with taste and not too graphic. Doc Brady is a fun character and likeable in every way. His wife and son play a good part in the mystery so does Tip the loveable pooch. We also have secretaries, house keepers and daughters in the picture to move forward this very captivating mystery which also includes some twists and turns to keep us on our toes. I kept flipping the pages following Doc Brady work throughout the story I so wanted to find out the whodunit ... Was it Lou or not? This was so exciting... What a surprising outcome....

A 3.5 star read. This is the third book in the Doc Brady murder mystery series. I cannot comment on the first two books in the series as I haven’t read them but I did throughly enjoy this third instalment. Following Doc Brady an orthopaedic surgeon who develops a side hobby as an amateur detective, this book opens with the murder of Paul Thompson a wealthy and well renown business man in the local Texas area. When the local plastic surgeon is the prime suspect of the crime, Doc Brady finds himself embroiled in trying to find out who is responsible for the recent murder. I love the inflection of John Bishops medical knowledge and experience that are apparent in Doc Brady’s character development and the thriller component was competently constructed. If you are looking for a new crime thriller series of books I would highly recommend. I will certainly be going back to read the first two books.

Thank you to Mantid Press, the author John Bishop MD and Netgalley for sending me a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author John Bishop MD for providing me with an ARC of the title Act of Revenge: A Medical Thriller!

I absolutely love this series, so when I saw this available for request I clicked that button so fast! These books are so informative with medical terminology, there are tons of twists and turns, and mystery abounds. I have yet to be disappointed with Bishop's writing. The fast paced writing keeps you enthralled until you reach the end of the novel. An awesome thriller for sure!

Thank you again for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

Act of Revenge: A Medical Thriller, is my first Doc Brady mystery of the series. I enjoyed this novel very much. He (Doc Brady) is funny, inquisitive and likable in every way. His wife, Mary Louise, is a sweetheart. Other affable family characters are their son and their beloved dog Tip. Dr. John Bishop writes well and the book captures your interest and is an entertaining read. Don’t focus on the fact that he, Doc Brady, is far more capable in solving this murder, than the police, and just enjoy the ride. I definitely recommend this book and thank NetGalley and Mantid Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Third book in an excellent series featuring Dr. Jim Bob Brady and his adorable wife, Mary Louise. In this book he literally “runs into” a fellow doctor on the ski slopes. This doctor is then accused of murder, and Doc Brady comes to the rescue in trying to solve the case. Informative book in medical terms, and lots of twists in the mystery.

Act of Revenge is my third book by John Bishop MD, and it’s third novel in the Dr. Jim Bob Brady series, an orthopedic surgeon. Brady now in his 50s, and after proving himself to be successful in a full-time practice in Houston, he has backed off to working just four days a week. That gives him a chance to enjoy his life a bit more, and it gives him some discretionary time.

The story starts with Brady going to Snowmass for a ski trip with his wonderful wife, Mary Louise. She is a much more graceful skier and he is more of a bomber – which means he aims his skies straight down the hill and hopes no one gets in his way. But, that’s not what happened on every run, and he plowed right through another skier who just happened to be a plastic surgeon in Houston. Jim Bob was okay, but the man he hit suffered a major knee injury which was skillfully managed by one of Brady’s partners. In the process of helping Dr. Lou Edwards and his wife, Mimi, they developed a quick bond of friendship. Lou and Jim Bob talked about their very different practices. Lou was particularly angry about the fact that his insurance carrier, Texas Mutual Life, had cancelled Lou’s malpractice insurance (as well as most other plastic surgeons). The failure of and difficulties with breast implants was leading to many lawsuits. Even Mimi was a victim. Mimi had developed lupus (SLE), a gradually progressive autoimmune disease that is eventually fatal. Although never definitively proven as being causative, the insurance companies had been successfully sued for many millions of dollars. Mimi had suffered from SLE for many years and she was getting much worse from the disease and long-term use of steroids.

But this story is about Paul Thompson, the CEO of Texas Mutual Life, and the problems that the cancellation of malpractice surgery was causing for Lou and his colleagues. The doctors demonstrated in a march outside of Thompson’s office, and it was picked up by The Today Show where Lou was caught directly threatening Paul who happened to live in the same high rise building to which Jim Bob and Mary Louise had recently moved. Then Paul was murdered. I thought the weakest part of this story was that Jim Bob got involved in the murder investigation, and the Houston Police designated him to be a Special Investigator and supplied him with a gold badge. So, at least with regard to that detail, be prepared to suspend reality.

None-the-less, this story had a number of twists that I did not see coming. The main characters are easy to identify with. Basically, this may not be great literature, but it is a very enjoyable read. Bishop created some great bad men and bad women. It would keep you entertained on a flight from San Diego to Chicago.

An enjoyable story with a fast paced writing. But there are some plot holes and loose ends unlike the previous books which were tight. 4.5 stars